midnight snack

I am such a night time junk food eater it’s not funny. I love love french fries at 10pm.  For that matter I love strange food in the morning too… but Wade tells me it’s disgusting that I eat cold pizza or leftover Chinese food for breakfast. So I’ll spare you those details…  

My new favorite late night snack…  air pop popcorn. The kind my Grandma used to make me when we stayed overnight at her house…to go with Mt. Dew floats :) Like a Rootbeer float, with Mt. Dew instead… it’s gross, I’m not suggesting that one, but the popcorn, mmm, yes the popcorn I’m suggesting you try. She would make a big bowl of it and she would sit on the couch and cross-stitch.. and we would watch a Lifetime movie…and in the morning? scrambled eggs. The best scrambled eggs.

anyway, this was one of my day-after-Thanksgiving-shopping-can’t-live-without-bargains. Mr. Popcorn Popper is a bit messy, and popcorn ends up everywhere… but that’s what the dog is for.

Half a cup of popcorn…  

melt some real butter… a little, or a lot.
someone told me to use butter flavor cooking spray instead… because it’s healthier. Can’t say I’ve tried that one yet… 

add some salt.
I use this sea salt, mostly because it’s one thing that wedding gift spice rack I have found a use for.

 

Thank you Grandma Jo

growth

4 months ago today I couldn't breathe. It felt like the world had stopped turning, and my life would never be normal again. Thankfully my lungs never stopped working. And somewhere in between those involuntary breaths, normalcy found me again.

After we had a miscarriage at the end of  November I wrote about it… and in that post I said that I knew someday I would learn from the experience and grow from it. At the time I said I didn’t understand. I was angry, and sad, and frustrated. Which was the honest truth…

"But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this. "
Proverbs 3:11-12(the message)

”don’t resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction”

I was sulking… big time sulking. Other people felt sorry for me, and I felt sorry for me. for us. We want a baby so badly, and we thought we had gotten what we wanted. What I thought I deserved.

It was last week while I was sitting in youth group that the guilt set in. The guilt of how selfish I’ve been. How wrong my attitude has been. I didn’t deserve that baby for one second… I never will deserve one. For the first time I realized I was wrong to be angry. The weeks I got to spend with my baby were a gift… a precious gift. A gift that I’ve learned to be thankful for. 

And thankful I am… thankful God loves us.

“It's the child he loves God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this. "

He loves me.. and he has corrected me. We’ve learned what it means to be loved unconditionally. The way I acted toward God after taking our baby wasn’t lovable at all. but God continued to love me. 

We can’t understand why we couldn’t meet our baby, but we don’t have to. God understands.  Some day our daughter will be 4 years old, and won’t understand why she needs immunizations before she can start school. I’ll feel horrible. I’m sure I’ll bawl my eyes out right alongside her… but I will understand it has to be done because I’m the parent. A little pain today is what is best for them..it’s saving them from something far worse in the future.  I think I was the 4 year old sitting on that sanitary white paper at the doctor’s office waiting for my shots 4 months ago. God wasn’t punishing me. He was my parent standing next to me; maybe was evening crying with me… but only because he loved me and knew what was best when I couldn’t understand.  

Our “little pain” was what was best for us. No, we don’t understand, but we are thankful nonetheless.

"When I cross over Jordan I'm gonna sing, gonna shout. Gonna look into your eyes and see you never let me down. So take me on the pathway that leads me home to you. And I will walk through the valley, if You want me to. "
-Ginny Owens; If You Want Me To

on the go

I had the most awful afternoon…

okay that’s not true at all.

Look at that sweet face…
and she can crawl too .
She also can squirm her way under the chair in 5 seconds flat.
And cried when I’d pull her out.

I have 20 pictures of her crawling toward me smiling and laughing. I swear I do… for some odd reason if I laid on the floor and took pictures of her, she would crawl to me as fast as she could and grin(proudly showing off her 2 new bottom teeth) the whole way. It could have something to do with me letting her suck on the strap on my camera… but I choose to believe it’s because I’m her favorite aunt.

Wordless Wednesday

Scratch that… Wordless Thursday.

and it’s not wordless…so I cheated all together.

girl’s family

boy’s family

Proud Warrior

This past week I’ve been overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with pride, and sadness.

A friend of my family was diagnosis with acute leukemia. He was my 8th grade teacher & coached basketball with my Dad. I was lucky enough to spend everyday with his wife for a year when I worked at our elementary school. They’re amazing people, and the impact they’ve had on our community is obvious.

Wade and I are youth group sponsors at our church, and so we know a lot of the kids in 8th grade. The way they have come together to support their teacher brings tears to my eyes. To see these kids putting on Facebook, and Caringbridge that they’re praying for him, and how much he means to them..it just melts my heart.

They’re such good kids… praying for a very good man.  

While I’m overwhelmed with sadness for him, and his family… I’m so proud of those kids. They go to a public school, yet they meet in his classroom before school to pray for him as a group. His basketball team gets together to pray for him.. during school. We’re so blessed to live in a community that separation of state and school and church doesn’t mean much… God is a part of life around here. period. 

This week I’ve been very proud of my alma mater. I’m proud to be a Warrior. I’ve heard a lot of people say things about prayer warriors, well the Vietor family truly has a whole team of prayer warriors. 
A community of prayer Warriors.

Rain Boots

  Noah was a righteous man…God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them…So make yourself an ark of cypress  wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch. This is how you are to build it: (God explains how big to make it) .  I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures…..”
Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
^{Genesis 6: 5-22 (edited, by me)}

Well we forgot to build our ark. Maybe God was trying to tell us, and we didn’t hear him.  If we had been listening for God’s commands last weekend, I’m pretty sure it would have sounded something like “ Feed the hungry, clothe the poor, visit your grandparents more, oh yea, and go into your basement bathroom, and check your sump pump” 

The last time I wore my rain boots it was my wedding day. It was muddy…we were going outside for pictures, and I wasn’t going to ruin my cute red shoes.

Fast forward a year and a half… I head into the closet to pull out my rain boots again.

This time…. to wear inside my house.

We could watch the water seep in from the walls in our back room. The sump pump isn’t working, the drain in the back room is over flowing…Remember when I said I’m not good at being a grown up? This would be a prime example.

I just want to go back upstairs and leave it. I told Wade when the water stops coming in, we’ll start cleaning it up. Of course that was not an option. He’s a good man… a good man who didn’t sleep that night, and stayed home from the work the next day because he was sucking up water as fast as it was coming in to try keep the bedrooms carpet  from getting wet.

It wasn’t fun, but eventually we got it to stop, and got it cleaned up. The sump pump is fixed, the drain is now working, the carpet has dried… but I still hold my breath every time I go downstairs. In retrospect I can see that it wasn’t that big of a deal. My neighbor lady told me to think about the people in Haiti and see how lucky we are it was only a little water in our basement. She’s right… 
 
God continued, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth." Genesis 9: 12-16 (the message)

March 20

“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth: the season of singing has come…”

Sons of Songs 2: 11,12

It may not look exactly like spring outside, but believe it or not, It’s here! Happy March 20th.

Can I get a hallelujah?

Here are a few things going on around our house on this first beautiful day of spring:

1. “My Chihuahua Bites”: a necessity for the springtime toes…one of those crazy named OPI colors. I would name it
“I look cute poking out of sandals”

2. Tulips: okay wait…

2. Really bright colored tulips

Mine are from Wal-mart. They cost a whopping 5 bucks..but worth all 500 pennies. Going on day 3, and they’re still just as pretty.  I’m not even exactly Dutch. A little bit, but I don’t buy into the whole Dutch thing going on around here. (except funnel cakes at the tulip festival) I just love how they bring a little springness to our kitchen.

3. Cadbury Creme Eggs: I bought one. Just one.. for good reason. Mine’s been sitting on the window seal in the kitchen for a few days. See it there? Just waiting for the first day of spring. Next to the very springy pastel M&M’s , and the summer staple sunglasses.

4. Spring-tastic Wreath
No Easter eggs, or bunnies on it. Just  bright green sprigs with yellow flowers. From the road you have to look past the snow to see it, but there it is. A little sign from our front door that says “ we believe in you spring. You can do it.. melt that snow”

Okay, there.. I think I have used all the “spring____something” words I know. Well, the sun is shining! I’m off to enjoy this Saturday… Hoppy Spring! .. I had to.

Oh yea, I might stop at Bomgaars today to see if they have the little baby chicks yet.

No green for me

I’m boycotting St. Patty’s day… because this is one of those weeks. The kinds where the sun don’t shine… literally and figuratively. No luck of the Irish around here.

To start off the new week, at 10:00 Sunday night my husband yells from downstairs that I need to come down there… Because he’s standing in water. If you live in the Midwest, you’re not surprised. In our 40 something year old house, there has never been water in this basement… til this week. But we’ll save the water fiasco for a rainy another day. (haha) 

This is one of those weeks where I burn my cake, my favorite show isn’t on TV, my dog overdoses, our house needs to be cleaned before some friends come over this weekend, but I’m still soaking up water out of the carpet: nothing seems to go my way… and because of that oh so important stuff, I let it ruin my attitude. I say things that I don’t mean, I say things in the wrong way… and then I want to blame other people when they’re angry and annoyed with me.  Well last night I couldn’t sleep because I’M angry and annoyed with me. 

I love my job. I love that I get to see many many different people everyday…. and my clients have become my friends. I get excited when I see someone is coming in that I can’t wait to have 2 hours to chat with them. But oh weeks like this, I have to put a smile on my face and just be nice…. and that is what I was doing yesterday when someone said to me (about her own job) “Sometimes you gotta wake up in the morning and put on a new hat, because those people need you.” She’s a nurse, so they literally do NEED her. But sometimes I like to think my clients need me too:)  

It’s 9:30 and I’m still in my Pjs.

I think I’ll go put on a new hat

… maybe a green one even


P.S. I added a “ticker” to my blog.. and holy moly, you are out there. Almost 100 views per day… freaks me out a little. I expected more like, 2 or 3. 6 maybe?  (I emailed my Mom and my sister…just to make sure they weren’t playing a joke on me) But mostly I’m humbled. Humbled that anyone would care what I have to say… Thank you! I needed to see that this week:)

Overdose

Daisee always sleeps in our bed. Last night she didn’t come in our room when we went to bed… we thought she was sleeping on the couch, and just went to sleep. This morning when Wade got up for work, Daisee didn’t move a muscle. (as usual…she always waits for me to get up before she wants to go outside, of course) When I got up later in the morning, our dog was out of her mind. Acting like a lunatic. Running around the house as fast as she could, sniffing the walls, tried to jump on our bed and missed altogether, barking at our clothes drying rack…. hmm, something is wrong with her..  
Note to self: When you’re having a late night snack of chocolate chips… don’t leave them on the table in the living room… all night.

Hershey’s milk chocolate chips = Crack for Dogs

Don’t worry, Daisee has come off her sugar/caffeine high nicely…she’s just fine now:)

Bailey Turns 2

   Happy Birthday Big Girl!

Bailey it is so fun to watch you become a little girl. Your voice is just too cute… the way you replace the letter “c” with “t”. 
My favorite word you say?
Otay
You’re shy, and sweet, and so fun to play  with.  We love being your uncle and aunt!

March 8, 2008

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Horsie Rides with uncle Wade.. and your protective big sister making sure you don’t fall off.  

Nora Rose

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I got to go along with her for her first lunch date. And it was fun to watch all the old ladies in the restaurant in the middle of the afternoon gawk.

“ how old is she”
“ what is her name”
“she’s so little”
I love it. I think that has to be your proudest moment of your life. Everyone wants to come over and see your baby.

She was 1 week and 1 day old on Tuesday when I took these photos. There is little in the world I love more than taking pictures of a sleepy pretty girl like Nora.

How precious is she…                                                                                           a smile

I feel so blessed to be her “auntie”. Thank you Dave and Nikki for letting me take some pictures, but mostly for letting me cuddle her,  and kiss those cheeks. 

because I’m a grown up…

…Wade won’t let me give our niece a real live bunny for Easter.

I’ve been asking for a couple weeks now if we could… I know she’d love it. And if her mom and dad said no, I would keep it:) Last Easter I asked for a baby chick… I’m gonna keep working on it!

Thanks mom for always letting me have all kinds of pets when we were little…remember that smelly guinea pig?

I’m starting to love coffee. I still drink it with flavored cream and sugar.. but it really is starting to be oh so good to me. I think I started drinking it because it makes me feel grown up.. and sometimes I’m not good at being a grown up.

I text Wade at work this morning, and said “I can’t wait to snuggle on the couch and watch American Idol tonight”... his reply. “I have to do an online chat for class tonight, but after that we can”. oh yea, I knew that.  Ew… that’s right. We have to be grown ups and do the responsible thing. I know when he’s done with what he has to do.. we’ll snuggle on the couch and watch American Idol because he knows it’s important to me.

I’m sitting at my computer desk with a cup of coffee in my hand… and lying in front of me are bills, and receipts, and my jewelry from yesterday, and adoption information papers,  my camera, and my cell phone, and papers for a class I need to sign up for for work…  
  grown up things.

Today I just want to go back to being 8 or 9.  When I loved to just sit in my room alone at night listening to tapes of songs I recorded off the radio. Mariah Carey mostly. I could spend hours looking over my sticker collection… or writing in journals, or digging in my messy closet.  Or dancing, there was lots of dancing... or for that matter, watching Dirty Dancing.
 
I still love those old Mariah Carey songs, and stickers… and writing in journals, and my closet is the one place I don’t care if it’s messy. Dirty Dancing is still my favorite movie. I know all the words.  

I’m don’t think we’re supposed to give up the things we loved as kids. I think when we’re little we’re still “us”.  The things you love as a kid are things God put in you.. that’s the way he alone made you to be.  Not yet defined by friends, or boyfriends, teachers, or co-workers. The world hasn’t screwed up us yet when we’re kids.  Okay I don’t mean that…I realize you learn as you go. But while I know I’m learning new things, today I’m going back to the old things.

What things did you love as a kid that you don’t do anymore?  Try it today….

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday Nora Rose

Well, happy birthday yesterday, technically.

I’ve had this sitting in my closet for, 4 months. Seriously, I’ve been buying Nora things since November. I was excited to pull it out last night, and set it on the counter.

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This little precious thing has one tough mommy. My friend Nikki is my oldest friend, and when she called me last night tell me Nora was here, I hung up the phone and cried.  I’ve never heard anyone sound more exhausted in my life. She hardly had a voice. She didn’t sound like herself... and it made me feel sick inside. I couldn’t stop thinking about what kind of a day my friend had just been through, and although I knew baby Nora was fine, and so was Nikki, I hated to hear her sound that way.  It always takes me a while to get over feeling sorry for that baby’s mama before I can just be excited.

I walked into her hospital room today, and saw her sitting in bed smiling. ah, that’s what I needed… and all I felt was joy. The kind that isn’t the joy of this world, but something that is a true miracle. More than ever I see the absolute miracle of a baby. Millions of things have to go just right for that baby to make it’s grand appearance. And here she was.

…living, breathing, in the flesh. perfect.

Laying all wrapped in that pink blanket. So cute. I mean seriously, the kind of cheeks that you can’s resist to kiss. Perfect little round face, lots of light brown hair. 8 pounds 14 ounces of pure adorableness.

I met Nikki 18 years ago. The first thing I ever said to her:
“wanna be my best friend?”
For a first grader, I was pretty smart. We had a sleepover almost every Friday night growing up. Most of my childhood memories involve Nikki. I’m not sure when we grew up… or where time went. But I am so thankful I decided to ask her to be my best friend. Little did I know at 6 years old, she would grow into one of the most amazing women I know. 

We live exactly 5 1/2 blocks from each other, so I’m excited to spend this summer going on walks with little peanut and her mama.

 

Congrats Dave and Nikki!